Science|Business’ Post

📢 The Birmingham Strategic Alliance members welcome the UK government’s recently released position paper on FP10, showing its potential interest in associating to the future programme. Participation in the European R&I framework programmes has proved to be extremely beneficial for place-based innovation ecosystems like the one in Birmingham and the West Midlands. BSA members particularly welcome the UK suggestion on exploring research excellence through regional lens recognizing the regions’ wide diversity.    The UK government seeks continued collaboration with the EU through FP10, provided it delivers value for taxpayers and the research community. Advocating for gradual improvements rather than major changes, it highlights the efficiency of the current framework and the importance of maintaining funding for key programmes like the European Research Council. Further, the UK emphasises that widening participation alone cannot bridge the innovation gap, and that FP10 should prioritise funding research with a clear potential to result in excellence. The UK also calls for simplifying partnerships and reducing administrative burdens to increase participation and ensure balanced collaboration. 🔎 Read all about the UK government's position here: https://lnkd.in/dXdRAVJ7 #Innovation #Research #EUCommission #Birmingham #WestMidlands #FP10

"Member States advocate enhanced strategic priority setting in FP10, emphasizing basic research and collaborative actions.„   Plans for FP10 highlight increased EU government involvement in setting priorities and propose 'Collaborative Research Actions' for basic research support. While budget specifics are absent, stability in funding throughout the program is emphasized for a more ambitious global competitiveness in research and innovation. These recommendations originate from the European Research Area and Innovation Committee (ERAC), a specialized task force advising on R&I within the EU. Key stakeholders stress the importance of advocacy from research and innovation ministries for a larger budget to incentivize contributions. The task force suggests streamlining Pillar II of FP10 to clarify support for both research and innovation, aiming to enhance efficiency. Moreover, involving member states and stakeholders in priority setting is advised, alongside maintaining roles for the ERC and MSCA. Horizon Europe serves as a benchmark for program enhancements. https://lnkd.in/dqJhGDVK #FP10Budget #HorizonEurope #budgetstability #collaborativeresearchactions #FP10

'CESAER Secretary General Mattias Björnmalm welcomed the taskforce’s reference to this vision, saying it correctly states the framework programme is directly connected to ERA, since FP10 is its key implementing tool. However, he believes the only way to effectively establish the fifth freedom is to pursue a legally binding and mandatory approach, which the taskforce did not mention. “It goes both ways: the framework programme is the implementing tool of ERA, but ERA must also be pursued in a way that allows the framework programme to excel. This means a mandatory and legally binding approach to achieve the fifth freedom.” Combined with a strong FP10 that “would put us on a trajectory towards achieving a science and technology union to position Europe as a global leader in research and innovation,” Björnmalm told Science|Business.' For full details and quotes see: https://lnkd.in/ebYQSyvq

EU regions are willing to play a more crucial role in the design and implementation of the next framework research programme, FP10. Regions say the support the European Commission currently gives to help poorer member states and regions lift their innovation performance is not sufficient. Regions are also calling for a much bigger and more stable budget to ensure the EU remains a global leader in innovation. https://lnkd.in/dk3Hj3mb

👀 live now the EC Expert Group on FP10 is presenting the report which will set the guidelines for the future of the EU biggest programme on Research and Innovation. It develops around 3 core aspects: ➡️Need for a strong programme for EU to reach its competitiveness goals ➡️Need for adequate budget of 220 bn ➡️Need for radical simplification with radical innovation DIGITALEUROPE shared the position paper on FP10 earlier this year calling for: ➡️ 25% digital target across all EU funding programmes ➡️more industry participation incl. TRL balance ➡️streamlined application procedures 👉 https://bit.ly/4dOYRnU

Too prescriptive: ‘The power of research funding lies in its ability to bring together the best minds in the world to come up with ideas and solve problems in ways we never thought of - or indeed to solve problems we did not even realise we had. This is not to say there should be no direction or stated objectives. Rather it is to say that Horizon Europe was too focused, leaving less room for serendipity. FP10 should create more space for creativity and bottom-up ideas.’ 👍👍

Very important points by MEP Christian Ehler. The creativity and curiosity of researchers should drive the programme instead of short term political priorities. Hence, FP10 should embrace a less prescriptive approach leaving much more space for truly innovative and forward-looking approaches, and attract the best researchers to participate in collaborative projects addressing global challenges.

With competitiveness back on the agenda along with an industrial deal, it would help to ramp up public R&D spending and provide incentives for private investments. #innovation #technologyleadership #strategicautonomy

In the shaping of the next European Framework Programme for #Research and #Innovation (FP10), we signed together with 109 European associations, representing key European RD&I stakeholders, a joint statement to urge the EU Institutions to significantly increase the current budget in view of #FP10 and to make pan-European collaborative research the cornerstone of FP10, answering industrial needs by excellence. Key focus areas: ➡ Cross-border RD&I: Enhance #EUcompetitiveness with strong industrial participation. ➡ Pillar II: Allocate significant budget, driven by strategic priorities and industrial needs. Pillar II is crucial to: 🤝 Build trust-based public-private partnerships 💶 Reduce risk and stimulate private #investments in Europe To remain a model of economic and social prosperity, #Europe needs to strongly invest in pan European collaborative RD&I fostering collaboration, driving technology maturation and innovation, and leveraging the expertise of RD&I public and private actors to strengthen its competitiveness and assert its leadership in key technological domains, as well as pave the way for a prosperous and sustainable future. ➡ https://lnkd.in/er239wef #CompetitiveFP10 #EUBudget #HorizonEU #EUIndustrialCompetitiveness

The future of the EU's next research programme, #FP10, is uncertain as debates continue over its structure. German MEP Christian Ehler has suggested that key decisions will be taken soon, with proposals to either keep FP10 as a stand-alone programme or merge it into a broader Competitiveness Fund. And while Commission President Ursula von der Leyen remains silent on the structure of FP10, former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta has called for a single research market to boost Europe's #competitiveness. 📌 More: https://lnkd.in/exGiGHnX